Turkish president due in Russia for historic first visit

MOSCOW. February 5. KAZINFORM - Turkish President Abdullah Gul will next week become the first Turkish head of state to pay an official visit to Russia, a source in the Turkish Embassy in Moscow said on Thursday; Kazinform has learned from RIA Novosti.

"The state visit of our [Turkish] president will take place on February 12 to 15," the source said. The source added that Gul is expected to hold a series of meetings with high-ranking Russian government officials and to visit Kazan, the capital of Russia's Volga Republic of Tatarstan, on February 14. In the five years from 2001, Russian-Turkish trade increased 250% and it continues to develop steadily. Russia is a major energy exporter to Turkey, pumping natural gas across the Black Sea through the Blue Stream pipeline, the largest Russian-Turkish energy project to date. Turkey is also one of the most popular destinations for Russian tourists, helping boost a sector that is an important foreign-currency earner for Turkey.